Forest Projects Plan – Phase Two Environmental Planning (SNC 1646)
Summary
SCH Number
2024030331
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Forest Projects Plan – Phase Two Environmental Planning (SNC 1646)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/11/2024
Document Description
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is funding Project #1646 Forest Projects Plan – Phase Two Environmental Planning, led by the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority (UMRWA). The project is a landscape-scale planning project to conduct an environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to analyze potential future projects to improve forest and watershed health on Stanislaus National Forest and Eldorado National Forest lands. UMRWA, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, will generate a landscape level NEPA Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) document considering potential future forest and watershed-health projects on a minimum of 40,000 acres and up to 225,000 acres. While planning activities are already underway separate from SNC involvement, SNC funding would take the project from the public scoping stage to the DEIS. Specific actions include regular coordination and outreach with the two forests, the Technical Advisory Group, Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group members, and the local tribes. UMRWA would also oversee focused field surveys and consultation with the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife, modeling efforts underlying the DEIS analysis, and developing alternatives. There will be no ground or resource disturbance as part of this project.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
Legal Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Murphy, Arnold, Pioneer, Kirkwood, Cape Horn
Counties
Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Tuolumne
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Approximately 225,000-acre landscape planning project located on Stanislaus National Forest and Eldorado National Forest lands within El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Alpine counties.
Other Information
Communities near the planning area include Murphy, Arnold, and Pioneer to the west of the project area and Kirkwood and Cape Horn to the east.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Pub. Resources Code, Section 21150; CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262, Feasibility and Planning Studies
Reasons for Exemption
The planning activities under this project are resource surveys, data analysis and modeling, and outreach and coordination meetings towards the development of a Draft NEPA Environmental Impact Statement considering potential future forest and watershed-health projects, which have not yet been approved, adopted, or funded. The planning and due diligence activities to be carried out as part of the project involve no ground or resource disturbance. The project is Statutorily Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262 Feasibility and Planning Studies as the project only involves planning studies for possible future actions, which the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board has not approved, adopted, or funded; there is no legally binding effect on later activities. The project is also Categorically Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306 Information Collection because it consists of basic data collection and resource evaluation activities, which do not result in a disturbance to environmental resources. The proposed activities are for information gathering purposes and are part of a study leading to an action, which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306, Information Collection
Reasons for Exemption
The planning activities under this project are resource surveys, data analysis and modeling, and outreach and coordination meetings towards the development of a Draft NEPA Environmental Impact Statement considering potential future forest and watershed-health projects, which have not yet been approved, adopted, or funded. The planning and due diligence activities to be carried out as part of the project involve no ground or resource disturbance. The project is Statutorily Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262 Feasibility and Planning Studies as the project only involves planning studies for possible future actions, which the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board has not approved, adopted, or funded; there is no legally binding effect on later activities. The project is also Categorically Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306 Information Collection because it consists of basic data collection and resource evaluation activities, which do not result in a disturbance to environmental resources. The proposed activities are for information gathering purposes and are part of a study leading to an action, which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
County Clerks
Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Tuolumne
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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